The RCMP's Emergency Response Team from P.E.I was dispatched to Moncton to assist in the intense manhunt in the city's north end, the P.E.I. Guardian reported.

New Brunswick Premier David Alward said he was "shocked and saddened to learn of tonight's tragic situation in Moncton.

"On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to those affected."

Mayor George LeBlanc pleaded with residents to stay in their homes until the suspect was apprehended.

"Terrible sad news for Moncton," LeBlanc tweeted. "Stay indoors and allow police to do their job. Prayers for the families."

The Horizon Health Network tweeted that two patients were taken to Moncton Hospital suffering gunshot wounds.

Locals took to Twitter Wednesday night with reports of police choppers and cops in riot gear sweeping through their neighbourhoods, prompting Mounties to ask people not to reveal officers' locations.

As the manhunt continued into the night, RCMP asked residents in the search area to turn on their outdoors lights.

Pictures of the gunman circulating online show a white man in his 20s or 30s clad in camouflage and carrying two rifles.

A Facebook page for a Justin Bourque in Moncton features a number of posts about guns and cops.

The most recent post, written just before Wednesday night's shooting spree, are lyrics from the Megadeth song, Hook In Mouth: "Don't try to fool us, we know the worst is yet to come./ I believe my kingdom will come."

QMI Agency can not confirm the Facebook page belongs to the shooter.

New Brunswick RCMP could not immediately be reached for comment, but tweets and voicemail messages asked people to "remain inside due to an ongoing shooting" and lock their doors.

A self-described citizen journalist, who goes by @Newschaser2 on Twitter, reported that two Mounties had been shot, including a female who was "shot twice in the head," but QMI Agency has been unable to confirm that information.

A woman named Heidi James tweeted that she's hiding in her bathroom with her severely autistic five-year-old son.